Leaders and delegates from the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association (MSGA) met Dec. 20-21 in Mankato to debate Pre-Resolutions and participate in the final board meeting of 2022. The meetings were held both in person and virtually due to a blizzard that hit the region.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t hold the type of longer board meeting we’d typically have, but it was still good to visit as a board as we close out the year,” MSGA President Bob Worth said. “We had some good discussions despite the limited format.”
On Dec. 20, MSGA’s governing board met for the first time in MSGA’s new conference room at its Mankato headquarters. Later that night, the board and delegates from across the state discussed policy resolutions, including new proposals related to:
- Expanding the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s export promotions department
- Tax relief for farmers enrolled in voluntary agricultural risk management programs
- Crop insurance
- Creating an indemnity fund for crop damage from white tailed deer
- Opposing environmental social and governance (ESG) benchmark systems
“The grassroots process of proposing and discussing policy resolutions are very important to what we do at MSGA,” Executive Director Joe Smentek. “It’s a guide for our priorities for the year ahead.”
MSGA Director Bob Nelsen was also saluted for delivering 70 memberships to the meeting. Nelsen handwrites recruiting letters from his farm in Murray County, and is consistently MSGA’s top membership recruiter. Click here to join MSGA.
At the full board meeting, MSGA heard administrative reports from its partners and received an update from its delegation on the American Soybean Association. Lobbyist Cory Bennett also recapped the 2022 election and look ahead to the 2023 Legislative Session, which begins Jan. 3. ASA Young Leaders Gary Schoenfeld and Tim Braun also attended the meeting, their first since becoming at-large board members.
MSGA’s board meets again on Thursday, Jan. 19 at MN AG EXPO for its Annual Meeting and Delegate Session. All current members members are welcome to attend.
